A general strike involving tens of millions of small shopkeepers yesterday was the first wave of protest against the Indian Government’s decision to cut fuel subsidies and to allow foreign supermarkets to open.

Trains stopped, buses halted and schools and factories closed across the country, particularly in those states controlled by opposition parties.

Bangalore was the most disrupted of the major cities as protesters lit fires to block roads and tens of thousands of police were on duty to prevent demonstrations turning violent. In Delhi, markets closed and roads emptied as the day wore on. In Mumbai, disruption meant that